


Wonderings

by VidalsQueen



Series: HZD Week 2018 [2]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Nature, Other, Technology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 11:25:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13856811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VidalsQueen/pseuds/VidalsQueen
Summary: Aloy sits atop a mesa, thinking about the world around her.Day 2: Nature or Technology





	Wonderings

Aloy sat atop the mesa that overlooked Meridian. The Sun was setting casting an orange and blue glow over the city. This was one of her favorite spots in the Sundom. She loved the juxtaposition of desert sand meeting jungle foliage. Many times, in this specific location, she’d used her focus to capture this scene. She tapped her device again, this time to capture the slight fog that had settled over the city. Meridian was aglow with the setting sun bouncing off of the low hanging clouds. 

It was in moments like this that Aloy found peace in her solitude. She was used to being alone, that much was true. But since becoming a Seeker, she’d made so many friends and acquaintances. She’d befriended a King, a Vanguard Captain, and a playful, yet macabre killer. She had friends in the Hunting Lodge, at the Hunting Grounds and in nearly every corner of the Sundom and Sacred Lands. But sitting on this ledge, drinking in the exotic view, she was more at peace with herself than anywhere else.

Many times she came here to think, to escape the overwhelming sights and sounds of the city. She came here to quiet her mind and be one with the world around her. She loved hunting, she loved Meridian, and she loved finding bits of the past, but there were moments when she wanted to leave it all behind and simply explore. Since leaving the Embrace, there had been so much she had discovered. Not simply information, but she’d climbed to heights she did know it was even possible to reach. She’d seen hidden oases tucked into desert crevices. She’d lain in the thick foliage of the jungle floor. She’d run her fingers through the hot desert sand. 

She pulled up the log in her focus that always caught her attention. It talked about a vast expanse of water and the marine life that once was. While the description of the place was macabre, she wondered what it looked like now. She had seen, many times, the devastation the Faro robots left in their wake, either through images left behind by the Old Ones or by those left behind. In many cases, nature had reclaimed these sites. This ‘sea’ they spoke of, couldn’t have been completely destroyed, could it? 

Then she brought up one of the images she captured with her focus. It was one of her favorites. The image was taken not too far from where she now sat. At first, the sight was terrifying. Her heart had climbed into her throat, especially since the last time she saw a Deathbringer, it was trying to kill her. But this one was broken down, decrepit. Vines and flowers had taken over the entirety of the metal body, making the war-machine a homage to the present state of the world taking over the ruined world of the Old Ones. The sheer beauty of that spark of hope made her heart race. 

As the sun set, Aloy turned off her focus. She lay back, resting her head on her arms. Up here, outside of the city, the stars were beautiful. The night sky was streaked with strips of blue light. Aloy wondered about these vast distances. What was out there? Did anyone know? What cause the lights in the sky? She was sure the Carja would have some silly answer for it all. They worshiped one of those lights. But she thought the idea of the Sun as a God was just as silly as the Nora worshiping a door. Still, someone must know something about what was out there, even if was to be found in some random text of the Old Ones. 

With these thoughts filling her head, she closed her eyes. She dreamed of the vast expanse of water she’d only ever read about. She dreamed of the vast nothingness of the sky she admired every night. And she held onto the hope that she would one day see these things for herself.


End file.
